Report: California Master Plan Needs Rethinking

Submitted by Doug Lederman on December 3, 2009 - 3:00am

Nearly 50 years after adopting its celebrated Master Plan, California’s vision for higher education has become “less cohesive,” and the state has failed to link funding decisions to clearly defined policy goals, according to a report[1] released Tuesday by California's non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office. The report questions whether the state’s policy pre-occupation with expanding “access” has “come at the expense of other critical goals, including student learning and degree completion.” Among other suggestions, the LAO recommends the Legislature consider new governance structures, as well as new funding models driven by student outcomes.